This talk was recorded at the Institute for Critical Animal Studies Oceania 2015 Conference in Melbourne. You can find out more information about this conference here: http://www.criticalanimalstudies.org/conference-schedule/

You can find links to listen to other talks from the conference here: http://progressivepodcastaustralia.com/2015/08/14/108/

This recording is thanks to Kate from Freedom of Species: http://www.freedomofspecies.org/

Below is further information about the talk from the conference booklet, available here: http://www.criticalanimalstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2015-booklet-final-.pdf

Vegan Consumerism and Going ‘Mainstream’

TARA LOMAX

Increasingly, veganism appears to be taking on an arguably consumerismdriven

focus. Not only in terms of personal choices, or conscientious trends in

the vegan (and non- vegan) marketplace, but as a collective objective that

seems to regard consumerism as an ultimate goal in vegan activism – a idea

commonly thought of as ‘going mainstream.’ With a rise in media and

celebrity attention directed towards the vegan lifestyle, the conditions and

objectives of vegan consumerism have built momentum. Vegan consumerism

might arguably be characterised in terms of plant-based diets that obscure

the complexity of other ethical choices on the basis of marketability,

campaigns (and fundraisers) that encourage non-vegan multi-national brands

to provide vegan options (despite a plethora of other unethical and animal

exploitative products), or even the demand that vegans deserve ‘faux’

versions of every animal-based product they once enjoyed (regardless of

need).

The consequences of these consumerism-driven approaches are slowly being

brought to the forefront, with discussions about the relations between

capitalism, animal liberation and intersectionality. In the blog Chickpeas and

Change, also reposted in Species and Class, Ali Seiter’s article ‘Veganism and

Consumerism’ points to the ‘re-centring of the human experience.’ ‘Vegan

consumerism,’ Seiter realises, ‘becomes a project to benefit humans who eat a

vegan diet rather than other animals oppressed by speciesism.’ Similarly, in

Direct Action Everywhere, Hana Low’s ‘Vegan Options are Not Animal

Liberation’ reveals how this re-centring of the human experience though

consumerism, is also being campaigned for by animal advocacy

organisations.

In response to these articles, this workshop aims to facilitate a critical dialogue

around the notion of vegan consumerism and what it really means for

veganism to ‘go mainstream.’ Primarily, this workshop seeks to address the

intersectional dynamics and implications of vegan consumerism, particularly

in terms of intersectional oppression.

Low, Hana. 2015. ‘Vegan Options are Not Animal Liberation.’ Direct Action Everywhere.

Blog Post. http://directactioneverywhere.com/theliberationist/2015/3/5/dear-animaladvocates-

vegan-options-are-not-animal-liberation

Seiter, Ali. 2014. ‘Veganism and Consumerism.’ Chickpeas and Change. Blog post.

https://chickpeasandchange.wordpress.com/2014/12/22/veganism-consumerism/

Tara Lomax is a doctoral research candidate in screen and cultural

studies and has taught issues related to media and everyday

consumerism at university level. Previously, Tara has presented at

multiple ICAS Oceania conferences and AASG conferences, and has

undertaken research in the representation of animal exploitation in

contemporary cinema.

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